Xi-Trump call signals political will to resume trade talks but obstacles remain, say analysts

BEIJING/SHENZHEN – Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 90-minute call with his US counterpart Donald Trump amid high bilateral tensions will allow him to project confidence at home, but the road ahead for trade talks remains fraught with obstacles, observers say.

The

much-anticipated phone conversation on June 5

came after both countries accused each other of violating a temporary truce that top negotiators had sealed in Geneva less than a month earlier.